Supermarine Spitfire

My Fave Fighter Planes, & Other Aircraft (8 items)
list by Rylvan

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries in the Second World War. The Spitfire was produced in greater number than any other British aircraft and was the only British fighter in continuous production throughout the war, and it continued in use as a fighter and also in secondary roles into the 1950s. Owing to the iconic status that the Spitfire achieved during its operational years, preservation and restoration of remaining examples have occupied enthusiasts for the half century since it ceased production.

The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. Where speed was seen as essential to carrying out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers, the Spitfire's thin cross-section elliptical wing allowed it a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane.

During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. The Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.